Employing the right annual data collection efforts to combat IPV on college campuses

Present data collection efforts to identify and address intimate partner violence on college campuses and universities are flawed. Traditional methods utilized to report on intimate partner violence on campus, including Campus Climate Surveys and Clery Act reporting guidelines, are insufficient in that they do not capture the full scope of intimate partner violence. Inconsistent operationalization of intimate partner violence affects prevalence rates, generalizations across entities, and subsequent programing efforts. This viewpoint is a call for universities to standardize data collection efforts that accurately capture the wide range of actions and perpetrations that constitute intimate partner violence so as to prevent the further loss of student lives on campus.